“I want to keep on climbing the ladder.”

Oscar Alonzo
New Career Path

Oscar Alonzo isn’t so much a “career changer” as a “career improver.” He has a job he likes with a company he likes, but he knows that a Business Administration degree will help him go further. “I thought a business degree would offer more possibilities and open more doors,” he says.

A married father of three, Oscar didn’t start out at Forsyth Tech taking college courses—he originally came to the school to get his GED. “I started with my GED, and from there I continued to sign up for college credits,” he says. But it hasn’t been easy. “I have to work, of course, full time,” he says. “I have a family. I have a wife.”

Because he works full time, almost all of Oscar’s courses are taken online. He says that the availability of online classes has made getting a college education possible. “I never even knew about online classes until I started at Forsyth Tech,” he says. “If I had to go in-class to take some of the courses, it would be impossible for me to work it around my schedule.”

Of course, he does have to take a few classes on campus. “I am taking one, and that’s Physical Education. For that I have to be in class. Otherwise, I’m taking all online classes.”

But taking classes online doesn’t mean Oscar has had to learn everything on his own. He has found it very easy to contact his instructors when he needs their help. “If I have a question I can email them, and they’ll respond really promptly to me, so that helps me out a lot,” he says. “They all have been really great.”

Now, thanks to the online classes, he’s well on his way to getting his degree. Then he plans to continue his education at a four-year university. “I’m looking into transferring to UNC-G or ECU, depending on which can offer the better online classes.” Eventually he hopes to get a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration so he can advance his career at the company where he’s currently employed. “I want to stay with them and keep on climbing the ladder,” he says.

Oscar is getting more from Forsyth Tech than just an education, however. He’s also gotten inspiration in the form of a scholarship. Last December, he received the Tom Staley Scholarship, which is given annually to a Business Administration student.

“Tom Staley was a Business Administration instructor at Forsyth Tech,” Oscar explains. “He passed away in 1998, and his wife has continued the tradition of helping people who really want to go to college and are having financial difficulties.” But financial need isn’t the only criteria. In awarding Oscar the scholarship, the school cited “his outstanding achievements in the Business Administration program,” including a 3.933 cumulative grade point average.

For Oscar, the scholarship meant more than money. “The fact that I got the scholarship helped me financially, but it also helped me emotionally,” he says. “It’s extremely good to see other people helping somebody. It really inspired me to do the same thing. Once I finish my degree and can help somebody else, I will.”